Current news concerning Oaxaca, Mexico as well as Mark's thoughts, for what they are worth, on the world's most pressing issues of the day.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Pew poll hard to believe

In "Poll: fewer people link Islam, violence" the AP reports on a Pew poll that I find stunning and therefore very difficult to believe.

36 percent, now say the Islamic religion is more likely to inspire violence, while 44 percent said that in July 2003

The poll found that recent terrorist bombings in London have had no noticeable impact on the public's view of Muslim-Americans or of Islam.

Just over half in the poll, 55 percent, said they have a positive view of Muslim-Americans. That's roughly the same number who felt that way in July 2003 and higher than the number who said they have a positive view of Muslim-Americans in March 2001, before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Four in 10 now say they have a favorable view of Islam, while 36 percent have an unfavorable view - numbers that are virtually unchanged since March 2002.

I have to believe that this poll was taken in American Samoa, or Guam, or maybe Puerto Rico. That or CAIR propaganda is more effective than I thought. See this post or this one or this one to see what thinking Muslims - those not too afraid to speak out - have to say about their own religion.